Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1887-01-20

Mistress Plodgitt got any furtheI. informa-
ton from the prudent Carmen, and must fain
speculate upon certain facts that were already
known.
Mistress Garments little room was opposite
to Thatcher's, and once or twice, the doors
being open, Thatcher had a glimpse across the
passage Of black-haired and q sturdy, boy
th little figure in great blue apron, perched
on stool before an easel, and on the other
hand, Carmen had often been conscious of tho
fumes Of tobacco pipe penetrating her
cloistered seclusion, end had seen across the
passage, vaguely erveloped in the same nico-
tine cloud, an American Olympian, in a
rocking chair, with his feet on the rantel
shelf. They had once or twice met on the
staircase, on which occasion Thatcher had
greeted her with word or two of respectful
yet half humorous courtesy-a courtesy
which never really offends a true woman,
although it often piQues her selfaplomb by
the slight assumption of superiority In the
humorist. A woman is quick to recognize
the fact that the great and more dangerous
passions are always serious, and may be ex-
cused if in self-respect she is often indrce,l to
try If there be not somewhere under the skin
Of this laughing Mercutio the flesh and blood
Of Romeo. Thatcher was by ma.
ture defender and protector; weak.
ness, and weakness alone, stirred the
depths of his tenderness-often, fear, only
through its half humorous aspects-and on
this plane be was pleased to place women and
children mention this fact for the benefit
of the more youthful members Of my species,
and am satisfied that an unconditional sur
render and the complete laying down at the
foot Of beauty Of all strong masculinity is a
cheap Gallicism that is untranslatable to
most women worthy the winning. For
woman must always look up to the man she
truly loves--even if she has to 60 down on her
knees to do it.
Only the masculine reader will infer from
this that Carmen was in love with Thatcher;
the more critical and analytical feminine eye
will see nothing herein that might not have
happened consistently with friendship. For
Thatcher was no sentimentalist; he had hardly
paid compliment to the girl-even in the
unspoken but most delicate form of attention.
There were days when his room door was
closed; there were days days succeeding these
blanks when he met her as frankly and
naturally as if he had seen her yesterday.
Indeed, on those days following his fight the
simple-minded Carmen, being aware-heaven
knows how-that he had not opened his door
during that period, and fearing sickness, sud-
den death, or perhaps suicide, by her appeals
to the landlady, assisted unwittingly in dis
covering his fight and detection. AS she
was for few moments as indignant as Mrs.
Plodgitt, it is evident that she had but little
sympathy with the delinquent. And be-
sides, hitherto she had known only Concho,
her earliest friend, and was true to his
memory, as against all Americanos, whom
she firmly believed to be his murderers
So she dismissed the offer and the man from
her mind, and went back to her painting-a
fancy portrait Of the good Padre Junipero
Sierra, great missionary, who, happily for the
integrity of his bones and character, died
some hundred years before the Americans
took possession Of California The picture
was fair but unstable, and she began to
think seriously of sign painting, which was
then much more popular and marketable.
An unfinished head of San Juan de Bautista,
artifcially framed in clouds, she disposed of
to prominent druggist for $50, where it did
good service as exhibiting the effect Of four
bottles of "Jones's Freckle Eradicator," ," and in
pleasant and unobtrusive way revived the
memory Of the saint. Still, she felt weary
and was growing despondent, and had a
longing for the good sisters and the blameless
lethargy of conventual life, and then
He came!
But not as the prince should come on
a white charger, to carry away this
cruelly-abused and enchanted damsel
He was sunburned, he was bearded
like 'the pard;;" he was little careless as to
his dress and preoccupied in his ways But
his mouth and eyes were the same, and when
he repeated in his old frank, -mischievous
way the invitation of his letter, poor little
Carmen could only hesitate and blush
A thought struck him and sent the color to
his face. Your gentleman born is always as
modest assa woman. He ran down stairs
and seiZing the widowed Plodgitt, said
hastily:
"You're just killing yourself here. Take
change Come down to Monterey for a day
or two with me and bring Miss De Haro with
you for company"
The old lady recognized the situation.
Thatcher was now a man of vast possibili
ties. In all maternal daughters of Eve there
is the slightest bit of the chaperone and
match maker It is the last way Of reviving
the past.
She consented and Carmen De Haro could
not well refuse.
The ladies found the "Blue Mass" mills very
it to them, "a trife rough and mannish-"
But he made over to them the one tenement
reserved for himself and slept with bis men,
or more likely under the trees. At first Mrs.
Plodgitt missed gas and running water, and
these several conveniences of civilization,
among which fear may be mentioned sheets
and pillow cases; but the balsam Of the
mountain air soothed her neuralgia and her
temper. AS for Carmen, she rioted in the
unlimited license of her absolute freedom
from conventional restraint and the indul
gence of her child-ike impulses. She secured
the ledges far and wide alone; she dipped
into dark copses and scrambled over the
sterile patches of chemisal, and came back
laden with the spoil of buckeye blossoms,
manzanita berries and laurel But she would
not make a sketch Of the @Blue Mass COM
pany's" mills on q Mercator's projection
something that could be afterwards ltho-
graphed or chromoed, with the mills turn